Reading Comprehension Passages Research Articles

Analytical study of Awareness of Metacognitive Reading Strategies and Reading Comprehension among College Students

The current study investigates first-year college students' awareness of metacognition reading strategies and their capacity to comprehend written content. The research focuses on first-year college students in the district of Shaheed Benazirabad, with data collected from 350 participants using a non-random sampling method, constituting approximately 23.33% of the targeted population. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using two instruments – MARSQ and a reading comprehension passage with literal, inferential, and evaluative multiple-choice questions. Data was processed using SPSS Version 22 in line with the research questions. The results indicate that both genders excel in answering literal questions but face challenges at the inferential level. However, their performance in evaluative questions is unsatisfactory, with both genders scoring significantly low. The analysis of metacognitive strategies reveals a notable emphasis on problem-solving strategies among students, surpassing other strategies. These findings provide valuable insights into the awareness of reading strategies and the overall reading comprehension levels among college students in the studied district.

Examining the Validity and Reliability of ChatGPT 3.5-Generated Reading Comprehension Questions for Academic Texts

This research examines the capacity of ChatGPT 3.5 in generating reading comprehension questions for academic texts, with a focus on their alignment with higher-order cognitive skills as per Bloom’s Taxonomy. A paper-based test comprising 30 multiple-choice questions was constructed using ChatGPT 3.5, based on three selected TOEFL ITP reading comprehension passages. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative content analysis to assess the cognitive level of each question and quantitative methods to analyze student responses. Data collection involved administering the AI-generated questions to students and scoring their responses. Analysis techniques included Pearson correlation coefficients to determine validity and reliability analysis using Cronbach's Alpha to measure internal consistency. The findings revealed that ChatGPT 3.5 is capable of producing questions that cover a range of cognitive levels, from analysis to creation, however only 10 out of 30 questions met the validity criteria, indicating a need for improvement in the AI's question generation process. The reliability of these questions was moderate, suggesting a reasonable level of internal consistency. The study concludes that while AI-generated questions show promise in educational assessments, ongoing improvement of AI models is necessary to enhance their effectiveness. The implications of this research are significant for the future integration of AI in educational settings, indicating a potential role for AI in developing meaningful assessment tools. The study recommends future research to explore various question types and incorporate student feedback to optimize the effectiveness of AI in education.

Lexical Bundles in Reading Comprehension Passages of Chinese National Matriculation Entrance Test: A Corpus-Based Contrastive Analysis

The construct of reading is presented in language assessment. Previous studies have focused on reading issues encountered by English learners, most of which are manifested by certain linguistic features: lexical bundles (LBs). Addressing this, the study aims to analyze LBs in reading comprehension passages in the Chinese National Matriculation Entrance Test (NMET) and contrast them with those in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), by focusing on the form, function, and frequency of three-word formulaic units. Data collected from self-built corpora based on the two tests were analyzed using Biber et al.’s structural and functional taxonomies. Results suggested that NMET includes a substantially lower frequency of bundles and a notably limited range of bundle patterns than IELTS. Results also indicated that the structural forms of LBs in NMET are clausal and that the dominant function is referential. This study has pedagogical implications for test designers and English reading educators.

9급 공무원 영어시험 (2019~2023 국가직)의 독해지문 난이도 분석

The purpose of this study was to assess the difficulty level of reading comprehension passages in the Grade 9 National Civil Service English Exam (CSEE) from 2019 to 2023, focusing on AI-based CEFR levels and readability levels. The overall results of the study are as follows: Firstly, in terms of CEFR levels derived from vocabulary, verb forms, and sentence structures, a high proportion of passages were included at the C1 level and above. Secondly, considering that CEFR levels are most influenced by vocabulary, the Grade 9 CSEE still contained a significant number of difficult words. Thirdly, in terms of readability, a considerable proportion of passages were analyzed at or above the college level, indicating high difficulty not only in terms of vocabulary but also at the sentence level. These findings suggest that the Grade 9 CSEE remains challenging. Based on the results of this study, it provides suggestions that could aid in adjusting the difficulty level of future Grade 9 CSEE and improving its validity and authenticity. Moreover, it presents the potential utilization of AI-based programs in the field of English assessment.

Meaningful Drills and Contextualized Reading Passages to Understand Relative Clauses

The current study tries to test the assumption that the use of meaningful drills and contextualized reading comprehension passages lead to better understanding of relative clauses. The study is based on the idea that meaning and contexts are necessary for learning to take place. It also aims to empirically test the effect of meaningful drills proposed by Christina Paulston on the acquisition of relative clauses. A sample of (30) first year undergraduate students of English took part in this study. The participants were divided equally into experimental and control group. The sample performances were matched based on their scores in the pre and posttest. After doing the pretest the experimental students received a short handout with relative clauses presented in short reading passages to read for themselves. Students of the experimental group had to identify and discover for themselves the occurrences of relative clauses in the reading passages. The reading passages are followed by meaningful drills on relative clauses. Three weeks later, the students in both groups took a posttest on relative clauses. Based on the tests results the authors have concluded that inserting context and meaning leads to better understanding of the grammar pattern being investigated.

A Critical Analysis of Monolingual and Bilingual Pupils’ Ability to Predict Outcome and Comprehend Sentences in a Reading Comprehension

This study was carried out to analyze the monolingual and bilingual pupils’ ability to predict outcome and comprehend sentences in a reading comprehension passage. The research design adopted for the study was Quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The population of the study comprised all 5,074 primary schools. The sample size that was used for the study consisted of 127, drawn from primary 3 pupils from 4 private primary schools in Uyo Senatorial District. The main instrument used for data collection in the study was titled “Performance of Monolingual and Bilingual Pupils” (PMBP). To ensure face and content validity of the instrument, the PMBP was given to the researcher’s supervisor and four experts (two in the Department of Early Childhood Education and two in English Department, all in the University of Uyo). In order to ensure the reliability of the research instrument, the PMBP was trial-tested on 30 private primary school children who were not part of the study, but the respondents have similar characteristics with those in the study area. The research questions 1-2 were answered using mean and standard deviation statistics, while the null hypotheses 1-2 were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Decisions on the 2 null hypotheses were taken at .05 level of significance. The study concluded that monolingual and bilingual pupils do not differ significantly in their ability to predict outcome and comprehend sentences in reading comprehension passage. One of the recommendations made was that government, through effective monitoring, should ensure that all private schools teach the vernacular as a subject to their pupils as stipulated in the National Policy on Education for effective implementation.

Probing the Impact of the Eclectic Approach in the Reading Comprehension Competence of Basic Schools Pupils in Ghana: With Kuka Primary School in Focus

The paper caused an investigation into the causes of Kuka M/A Primary pupils’ inability to read comprehension passages and to sustain their interest in reading comprehension using eclectic approach. Literature was provided to support the study. Action research design was used in the study. A sample size of fifty (50) pupils was drawn from the entire school population for data gathering purposes. The instruments employed for the study were tests and observation while data were analyzed using frequency tables. The study revealed that lack of participatory activity in the classrooms, lack of pre-reading skills, absenteeism, and others were the causes of the pupils’ inability to read. The study further revealed that using an eclectic approach improves pupils’ performance in class. It became known that most of the pupils were now interested in reading comprehension passages very well because the lessons adopted the interactive activity-based approach. A number of recommendations were made to assist stakeholders of the school to make good use of this current study to improve upon their performance.

A Study on Content Validity of Reading Comprehension in TEM-8 (2016-2021)

TEM-8 is an authoritative test to judge the professional level of English majors, in which reading comprehension occupies an important proportion. Based on Bachman & Palmer’s test task characteristics framework and combined with the requirements of teaching syllabus for English majors and the revised TEM-8 test syllabus in 2015, this paper, from the perspectives of language input characteristics and expected response characteristics, takes TEM-8 reading comprehension passages in the past five years as the research object to analyze the content validity of reading comprehension with the methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The results reveal that TEM-8 reading comprehension test in 2016-2021 has relatively high content validity on the whole, but there is space for further improvement in the length of reading text, the selection of text materials, the balance of text difficulty and the diversity of response types.

Text Complexity of Reading Comprehension Passages in National Matriculation English Test: A Three-level Corpus Study

Text Complexity of Reading Comprehension Passages in National Matriculation English Test: A Three-level Corpus Study

Incidental Vocabulary Learning Opportunities in the Reading Comprehension Passages

This paper reports on research into vocabulary learning opportunities provided in the reading comprehension passages. It is a quantitative study with a corpus analysis using AntWordProfiler program. Data was collected from reading comprehension passages involving all words in the passages. The results show that the reading comprehension passages provided a great opportunity to deepen knowledge of first 1,000 most frequent words. However, they did not provide good opportunities to develop knowledge of second 1,000 most frequent words, academic words and unlisted words well. This is because most of the word families found in the reading comprehension passages occurred once and less than five times. In conclusion, the reading comprehension passages provided opportunities to learn first 1,000 most frequent words and lacked the opportunities for second 1,000 most frequent words, academic words and unlisted words.

Incidental Vocabulary Learning Opportunities in the Reading Comprehension Passages

This paper reports on research into vocabulary learning opportunities provided in the reading comprehension passages. It is a quantitative study with a corpus analysis using AntWordProfiler program. Data was collected from reading comprehension passages involving all words in the passages. The results show that the reading comprehension passages provided a great opportunity to deepen knowledge of first 1,000 most frequent words. However, they did not provide good opportunities to develop knowledge of second 1,000 most frequent words, academic words and unlisted words well. This is because most of the word families found in the reading comprehension passages occurred once and less than five times. In conclusion, the reading comprehension passages provided opportunities to learn first 1,000 most frequent words and lacked the opportunities for second 1,000 most frequent words, academic words and unlisted words.

Deployment of Background Knowledge and Performance in Comprehension Passage Reading among Primary School Learners in Vihiga County, Kenya

Background. Primary school learners in Vihiga County have been recording a lower mean score in English language examinations than their counterparts in neighbouring counties, with the score being lower in comprehension passage than in grammar sections. Few previous studies conducted in Kenya have investigated the issue from the instructional dimension, thereby limiting stakeholders’ understanding of the issue and delaying appropriate interventions. Aim. To determine how the deployment of learners’ background knowledge influences performance in reading comprehension passages. Method. Solomon Four-Group Design guided the study. Data were sourced in mid-2017 from standard six learners and English language teachers. Regression analysis generated two models, one for the experimental and control groups, each. Results. In both models, deployment of background knowledge had a significant positive effect on the performance in reading comprehension passages, which prompted rejection of the null hypothesis. However, the effect was stronger in the experimental group than in the control group. The variation was attributed to training provided to the experimental group teachers, which improved their skills in activating learners’ background knowledge. Conclusions. Activating learners’ background knowledge is a vital antecedent to better performance in reading comprehension passages and the English language. Although prereading vocabulary is vital for the activation of learners’ background knowledge, overreliance on a single strategy to activate learners’ background knowledge undermines optimal deployment of background knowledge skills in reading, albeit with implications on performance.

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR PROFICIENCY KNOWLEDGE OF DIPLOMA STUDENTS

The aims of the study were to determine the most frequent grammatical errors made by students and their performance in a grammar test. Hence,183 diploma students from a local university were chosen to assist in this study. The instrument of the study was a final test consisting of two reading comprehension passages and a grammar section. For the purpose of the study, the students’ answers of the grammar section were analysed. The grammar section consists of 10 questions covering different parts of speech and tenses which were randomly chosen. It was found that the majority of the students’ performance in a grammar test is in the middle range. Most of them did not perform badly but neither did most of them excel at English grammar. Based on the findings there seemed to be a need for a more enhanced focus on the teaching and learning of English grammar for Malaysian ESL students. However, because this is a small study that examined only one batch of students, the results of this study may not be too significant for a more generalised conclusion. Thus, continuous study should be done with regard to aspects of grammar knowledge and its teaching and learning in Malaysia.

Synchronic Account of Substitution among Educated Ohaozara Speakers of English

Substitution is a natural experience among second language speakers because it occurs in a situation where the target language presents segments that do not exist in the native language of speakers. Native speakers, therefore, unavoidably try to overcome the linguistic problem of having to articulate sounds that are present in the foreign language but unavailable in their mother tongue. It is against this linguistic pedigree that this study explored the synchronic account of substitution among educated Ohaozara speakers of English using the Natural Phonology Hypotheses (NPH) as its analytical tool. The study aimed to identify and account for the particular cases of phonological substitution as it affects Ohaozara educated speakers of the English language and thereafter, recommend workable and sustainable remedies that would mitigate the problem. Data for the study were collected through the use of audio recorder and a reading comprehension passage. One hundred (100) educated Ohaozara speakers of English, who were drawn at random, using the stratified random sampling technique, participated in the study. The data were analyzed quantitatively in accordance with the tenets of NPH. The results showed that the speakers exhibited acts of phoneme substitution in most of their spoken discourses in English as evidenced by both data. The study offered a good number of recommendations and suggestions to mitigate the problem.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS’ INTEREST AND THEIR READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN SHORT PASSAGES

The study aims at finding out the relationship between students’ interest and their reading comprehension level in short passages. This study was conducted at the second grade of Senior High School 10 of Gowa. The population of this study was all of the students in academic year 2019/2020 which consisted 265 students, and the sample was 30 students selected by using purposive method. The researcher applied correlational design. The researcher used the instrument to obtain the data, they were questionnaire and test. The scores from both instruments were calculated and analyzed by using statistical procedure of Product Moment Correlation to find out whether there was a correlation between the two variables or not. The result showed that there was low correlation with the index value of correlation coefficient (rxy) of 0.28. Furthermore, the hypothesis testing showed that the index value of correlation coefficient (rxy) of 0,28 was lower than the index value of correlation coefficient of the Product Moment table (rt) of 0,306 which meant that, the null hypothesis (H0) was accepted and alternative hypothesis (H1) was rejected. Therefore, students’ interest in short reading comprehension passages is in average level because only a few students are interested in English lesson especially those who have high interest and many vocabularies to learn English. Short Passages did not give a big impact on students’ interest and their achievement in reading comprehension because of some factors. There is not self-interest in reading, lack of vocabulary and support parents and all of school elements in order to improve the students’ reading interest optimally. The findings of this study might be used as the input for both teachers and students to improve students’ reading comprehension level.

Prediction Skills, Reading Comprehension and Learning Achievement in Vihiga County Kenya. Addressing Constraints and Prospects

Prediction skill may be used in reading comprehension passages as encapsulated in interactive approach instruction. Prediction skills assist learners to decode the meaning of comprehension passages by constructing guesses about the contents of texts to be read in comprehension passages. Learners in Vihiga County register low achievement in English language examinations than peers in neighbouring counties over the years. The performance is much weaker in comprehension passages than grammar sections. Although there are low grades, the nexus between use of prediction skills and learners’ achievement in reading comprehension passages has not been assessed. This study applied the Solomon Four Non-Equivalent Group Design to obtain primary data from 279 primary school learners and 8 teachers in 2017. Multiple linear regression used generated two models, one for the experimental group (Model 1) and one for the control group (Model 2). Findings indicate that the influence of prediction skills on learner achievement in reading comprehension passages was significant in experimental, but insignificant in the control groups. However, influence was stronger in the experimental than in the control groups, suggesting that training English language teachers on correct application of prediction skills improves learner achievement in reading comprehension passages. The study recommends need to: sensitise teachers on textbook usage, while supplementing with improvised materials; guide learners through titles; as well as update teacher training curriculum by integrating inter alia, emerging instructional methods embracing Information and Communication Technology and entrenching innovation in resource mobilization and use.

The Directed Reading Thinking Activity for Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Metacognitive Awareness among English Department Faculty of Education Students

The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) on enhancing English reading comprehension skills and metacognitive awareness among first year English Department students at the Faculty of Education. It was a one group pre-, post-test, quasi- experimental design. The participants were thirty-eight first year English Department students at the Faculty of Education, Aswan University. The instruments were an English reading comprehension skills test and a metacognitive awareness scale for assessing the experimental group’s reading comprehension skills and metacognitive awareness before and after the experiment. The researcher taught reading comprehension passages to the experimental group by using the DRTA. The obtained data was statistically treated by using the SPSS. The results revealed that the experimental group’s reading comprehension skills and metacognitive awareness were enhanced as a result of using the DRTA in teaching them reading comprehension. Therefore, the DRTA was found to be effective in enhancing reading comprehension skills and metacognitive awareness among first year English Department Faculty of Education students. المستخلـــــص القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير لتحسين الفهم القرائى والوعى ما وراء المعرفى لدى طلاب شعبة اللغة الانجليزية بکلية التربية هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى فحص اثر استخدام القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير فى تحسين الفهم القرائى والوعى ما وراء المعرفى لدى طلاب الفرقة الاولى بشعبة اللغة الانجليزية بکلية التربية. تکونت مجموعة الدراسة من ثمانية وثلاثين طالبا من طلاب شعبة اللغة الإنجليزية الفرقة الأولى بالعام الجامعى 2019-2020. وقد تم استخدام المنهج شبه التجريبى ذى المجموعة الواحدة، کما تم التدريس للمجموعة التجريبية الفهم القرائى باستخدام إستراتيجية القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير. واشتملت أدوات البحث على اختبار مهارات الفهم القرائى باللغة الإنجليزية ومقياس الوعى ما وراء المعرفى الذى تم تطبيقه قبل استخدام القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير وبعدها. وتمت معالجة البيانات إحصائيا باستخدام برنامج (SPSS). وقد أشارت النتائج إلى التحسن الملحوظ فى مهارات الفهم القرائى باللغة الانجليزية والوعى ما وراء المعرفى لدى مجموعة الدراسة بعد إستخدام القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير. وبالتالى ظهرت فاعلية استخدام القراءة الموجهة بنشاط تفکير فى تنمية مهارات الفهم القرائى فى اللغة الإنجليزية والوعى ما وراء المعرفى لدى طلاب الفرقة الاولى شعبة اللغة الانجليزية بکلية التربية.

Investigating the Psychometric Impact of Negative Worded Items in Reading Comprehension Passages with a 3PL Cross-Classified Testlet Model

Negative worded (NW) items used in psychological instruments have been studied with the bifactor model to investigate whether the NW items form a secondary factor due to negative wording orthogonal to the measured latent construct, a validation procedure which checks whether NW items form a source of construct irrelevant variance (CIV) and hence constitute a validity threat. In the context of educational testing, however, no such validation attempts have been made. In this study, we studied the psychometric impact of NW items in an English proficiency reading comprehension test using a modeling approach similar to the bifactor model, namely the three-parameter logistic cross-classified testlet response theory (3PL CCTRT) model, to account for both guessing and possible local item dependence due to passage effect in the data set. The findings indicate that modeling the NW items with a separate factor leads to noticeable improvement in model fit, and the factor variance is marginal but nonzero. However, item and ability parameter estimates are highly similar between the 3PL CCTRT model and other models that do not model the NW items. It is concluded that the NW items introduce CIV into the data, but its magnitude is too small to change item and person ability parameter estimates to an extent of practical significance.

Bringing L2 learners’ learning preferences in the mediating process through computerized dynamic assessment

Computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) brings the rationality of assessment–instruction integration behind dynamic assessment (DA) into computerized context through the presentation of electronic mediations (Poehner). This study attempts to unravel L2 learners’ actual/developed ability and learning potential in a C-DA reading comprehension context where 183 Iranian EFL learners were asked to freely select pre-specified, implicit to explicit mediations based upon their visual, audio, and textual learning preferences as well as their zone of proximal level of development. More precisely, this study seeks to discover the feasibility of integration of learners’ mediating preferences into C-DA procedure. In contrast to previous C-DA studies, learners in this study played an active role in deciding on different types of visual, audio, and textual mediations required to deal with comprehending the main ideas of 15 passages. The software was programmed to present 15 reading comprehension passages alongside three sets of visual/audio/textual mediations presented strategically (implicit to explicit) in a prefabricated standardized fashion to assess and co-construct emerging zone of proximal development (ZPD). The learners’ learning potential score based on their own mediation tendencies uncovered the effectiveness of visual, audio, and textual mediations in assisting the learners to reach independency in grasping the main ideas of reading comprehension passages. Statistically, a paired samples t-test revealed the learners’ ZPD enhancement in comparison with their developed ability. Overall, the results demonstrated that it is feasible to respond to individual learning preferences with fine-tuned electronic mediations in the C-DA context of reading comprehension.

Elicitation of L2 Learners' Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies through Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment

Cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) as an innovative criterion-based approach to assessment has been the center of increasing attention in recent decades due to its inherent merits over its previous psychometric counterpart. Due to the lack of research on the post hoc analyses of classroom assessments to diagnose L2 learners’ strengths and weaknesses in the multidivisible skill of reading comprehension, and also its significance in high-stakes tests, this article offers the implementation of samples of high-stakes tests in the classroom environment due to its beneficial consequences and washback for the learners to increase their educational chances. Therefore, the present article is intended to shed light on the mental processes which the examinees went through in responding to the multiple choice questions of four reading comprehension passages, elicited from the recent Iranian University Entrance Exam 2015. Time-series design was conducted to forty female students aged between 16 and 17 years old who made the control and experimental groups in an EFL context at a high school to help them enhance their reading comprehension skills and strategies by giving proper diagnostic feedback and intervention. The analysis of data collected through triangulation of methods, namely interview, think-aloud, and self-assessment confirmed the usefulness of consistent cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) for both teacher and students. Moreover, the CDA analysis led to the development of a number of online reading comprehension strategies which are normally belittled in non-interactive assessments. Finally, the article suggests the use of consistent CDA as a dependable and trustworthy procedure to diagnose and enhance L2 learners’ reading comprehension processes.